Proposed Winchester town pool moves closer to reality

Tuesday

Jan 10, 2017 at 2:01 PMJan 12, 2017 at 3:16 PM

Melissa Russell mrussell@wickedlocal.com @WalthamNewsTrib

Winchester has inched a little closer to having a public pool. After receiving an update on Jan. 9 from Swim Winchester, the non-profit organization proposing to build a public pool in town, members of the Winchester Board of Selectmen encouraged the group to continue to investigate the feasibility of using a portion of Skillings Field.

After conducting a feasibility study and examining various sites including Middlesex Park and Leonard Field, the group pressed their preferred location of Skillings Field, due to its existing parking and availability to the Winchester High School swim team.

Swim Winchester President Catherine Curtis told the board she was confident the group would have the ability to raise funds for the project, which is estimated to cost $12 million. She asked the board for a conditional agreement to lease the preferred parcel on Skillings Field.

“We are at a stage now where we need clarity about how to go forward in order to complete the fundraising study,” she said.

If the capital campaign begins in spring 2018, the facility would open in 2020, she said.

“We need to have certainty on the site to get going. We will need serious funding and that can only be done if we know where the site will be,” she said.

School Superintendent Dr. Judy Evans, although enthusiastic about a pool for the WHS swim team, expressed concern over the loss of parking spaces and field use. Selectmen discussed the issues of flooding and removal of contaminated soil that was found on the site through flood mitigation work.

Howard stated the proposed site is not in the FEMA flood plain, but an engineering survey would be needed to determine flood risk.

Grenzeback said he was “reasonably convinced” the project is “a good risk.”

Next steps include consultation with town counsel on how to lease the parcel, conducting an environmental study and consulting with the School Committee.

Fletcher Fund survey

The board also discussed the need to modernize the approach to distributing money in the town’s Fletcher Fund which was created by resident Asa Fletcher in 1880 to assist Winchester’s neediest residents.

In 2015, the Housing Partnership Board told the Selectmen the fund was under utilized and under publicized, and that applying for it was overly complicated. At that time, the fund held $565,000. According to a memo from Phillip Beltz, director of the Jenks Center and the Council on Aging, since 2009, 33 funding requests have been approved, with a total expenditure of $77,045, primarily for housing assistance.

Town Manager Richard Howard told the Board he has met with various stakeholders in the community, including the Housing Authority and the Council on Aging, who provide services to needy residents. He recommended that a social worker currently servicing the town’s elderly, also be pressed into service to the larger community. He recommended that the town commission a needs assessment to determine what issues exist locally that could be addressed by the fund, who could benefit, and if there were matching grants available.

The Board will further discuss the cost and scope of a survey on January 23.

Lead neck connectors

The Department of Public Works is preparing a letter to send to approximately 240 residents who may have lead attachments from pipes carrying water into their home from the public line, with information about water testing and lead pipe removal. The letter provides information about remediation funds available from the MWRA. Jay Gill, DPW director, explained that homeowners will be obligated to hire contractors to perform the work. The DPW has a list of contractors experienced with water and sewer work, Gill said.

Beautification of Town Common fountain

Representatives of the Winchester Home and Garden Club have proposed a project to refurbish the urn and fountain on the Town Common. Co-presidents Dot Butler and Cathy Alexander asked permission to offer financial assistance to the town and to work with the DPW to have the fountain removed, sandblasted and repainted, to have the ground leveled, and to add benches around the fountain. The cost is estimated at $12,000.

Chairman Lance Grenzeback said, “If you’re going to do the work and raise the funds, I have no objection.”

Gifts for police department accepted

The board accepted two gifts to be used for police supplies. The Johnson family of Winchester donated $1,000 and Poulos-Rutherford family donated $100. The funds will be deposited into the department’s gift account as per request of Police Chief Peter MacDonnell.